It is well recognized that certain classes of drugs can cause clinically
significant elevations in glucose concentrations. Historically, the agents
implicated have included β-blockers, thiazide diuretics, corticosteroids,
niacin, pentamidine, and others.1,2
Of recent interest are the increasing numbers of reported cases of new-onset
diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients receiving treatment with protease inhibitors
(PIs) or atypical antipsychotic agents. In most cases the mechanisms by which
hyperglycemia occurs are not fully understood, although several possible theories
have been proposed for each drug class.1,2